Is It Hard Work or Smart Work?

In today’s fast moving generation, output is of importance. Each human development has done to improve our ability to deliver results in the most productive manner conceivable. We try to produce maximal output with minimal input. The saying ‘hard work gets ahead’ has become a cliché, but it is true to some extent. However, simply working hard does not ensure success in the long-run. Smart work has become fundamental to guarantee achievement; no individual cares about how you get the work done, they simply want results. While hard work teaches you to be smart, smart work is more beneficial in the long-run because smart work helps you reach the optimum level of production, through smart work your objectives can be achieved quicker, it saves time and makes you more organized.

Smart work keeps a fine line between the two extremes of wasteful idleness and tireless hard work to be more productive. Abraham Lincoln once said, “If I had six hours to cut down a tree, I’d spend the first four sharpening the saw” (Admin, 2015). You can work hard and put in the hours, but the change happens when you aim to perfect your skills beforehand. Smart workers prepare the job ahead; they aim for today, while hard workers aim for tomorrow. Another quote found on The Lifestyle Compound states that, “It is not how hard you work, but how much you get done” (Landsberg, 2014). Both hard workers and smart workers are working towards the same goal. The only difference is that the smart worker does it faster and reaches the optimum level of production in the process. In doing smart work the knowledge, assets, and skills required have been used more effectively.

Unlike hard work, smart work allows you to accomplish your goals faster. Research demonstrates that most manageable improvement exercises are those whose objectives are connected to accomplishing that goal (Industry Forum Contributors). Smart workers set small improvements now and their outcomes start instantly, building over time. This is outlined in a quote by Mark Twain, “Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection” (Industry Forum Contributors). If you delay starting a goal until you structure a total and impeccable plan, the odds are you will lose center and never execute any improvement whatsoever. “Striving for perfection will only delay your completion” (Kane, 2018). Furthermore, Bill Gates said that he would hire a lazy person to do a difficult job because a lazy person would find an easy way to do it (Burn-Callander, 2018). Hard work is not always necessary, smart workers find simpler ways to do the same task, they optimize the process and make it more efficient. Hard workers plan for the future, delaying until perfection, smart workers implement plans for now, allowing them to attain their goals faster. Hard workers have a vision; smart workers make it a reality.

Research shows that working smartly consumes less time, lowers mental stress, and gets work done quicker (TT Bureau, 2018). Doing smart work enables you to spare time for other tasks. When you only have 24 hours a day, you need to begin working smarter to get the maximum value for your time and exertion. Working hard delivers results, yet working smartly gives you top outcomes in less time. Working hard takes excessive time and is exhausting, as after a considerable amount of work, you are left with no energy to do other tasks. Furthermore, smart work makes you more organized and lowers stress as you make plans for today and do not wait for results in time. Life is brimming with opportunities. Keen individuals can distinguish them rapidly and harvest achievement applying heart and soul, sparing time for later.

Working smart might be crucial, yet it is only part of the equation. No effective business visionary or official will disclose to you that it is a substitute for applying greatest exertion, working hard and smart go hand in hand. If you incorporate your hard work into smart work, it will be of more benefit as it allows you to achieve your objective more efficiently, faster, and conclusively spares time. As HuffPost stated, “Work hard in making smart choices, but be smart to put that hard work to use” (Khan, 2016). Make mistakes, however, be intelligent enough to learn from them. Work smarter, not harder. As Matshona Dhliwayo once said, “The early bird gets the first worm, but the wisest bird gets the fastest one” (Quotation Explorer).

Works Cited

Admin. “Motivational Quote on Smart Work By Abraham Lincoln If I Had Six Hours.” Dont Give Up World, Dont Give Up World, 27 Dec. 2015, dontgiveupworld.com/quote-on-smart-work-by-abraham-lincoln/.

Burn-Callander, Rebecca. “Why Being Lazy and Procrastinating Could Make You Wildly Successful.” The Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, 1 Aug. 2018, www.telegraph.co.uk/money/consumer-affairs/lazy-procrastinating-could-make-wildly-successful/.

Industry Forum Contributors. “The Answer to the Ultimate Question!” Industry Forum, Industry Forum, www.industryforum.co.uk/resources/blog/the-answer-to-the-ultimate-question/.

Kane, Suzanne. “Improvement Means Progress.” World of Psychology, PsychCentral, 8 July 2018, psychcentral.com/blog/improvement-means-progress/. Accessed 2 May 2019.

Khan, Ian. “Work Hard or Work Smart ? The Debate Finally Ends Here!” HuffPost, HuffPost, 17 Sept. 2016, www.huffpost.com/entry/work-hard-or-smart-the_b_8156326.

Landsberg, Adrian. “Did You Create Or Consume Today ?” The LifeStyle Compound, The LifeStyle Compound, 23 Mar. 2014, www.thelifestylecompound.com/create-consume-today/.

“Quotation Explorer – ‘Bird’.” Quotation Explorer, quotes.schollz.com/subject/bird.

TT Bureau. “Hard Work Is More Important than Smart Work.” Telegraph India, Telegraph India, 23 Aug. 2018, www.telegraphindia.com/culture/hard-work-is-more-important-than-smart-work/cid/1382990.

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